Improved sugar-evaporator



J. H; WITHBY. SUGAR EVAPORATOR.

No. 38,710. Y Patented May 26, 1863.

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UNr-TED STATES J. H. wrrnnnor wmeHEsrER, iLLiNoIs.

PATENT OFFICE.,

IMPRovED SUGAR-VAPOaaronl Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,710, dated May 26, 1863.

To (1J/l whom, ibm/ty concern:

, Bc it lnown that l, J. ll. lJVI'LHEY, of Winchester, in the county of Scott and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for the Manufacture of Sirup and Sugar from the Juice of Sorghum-Cane, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, vreference being had to the accompanying drawings of the same, making part of this specification, in which- Figure l representsa plan of my improved apparatus, and Fig. 2 a vertical longitudinal section takenv through the same at the line o; w. Fig. 3 represents au end elevation of the same.

The object of this invention is to prov-ide a simple and cheap yet effective al'rparatus for the production of sirup and sugar from the juice of the sorghum-cane, and which, from being little liable to get out of order, and capable of being easily managed ,would commend itself for general use.

Previous to giving a special description of the various parts ofthe apparatus, it may be well to remark that while it is represented in the drawings as consisting of but a single set of pans or teaches for the completion of the process, yet it is also intended to be enlarged whenever desired, so as to be used with two sets to increase the capacity of its production. The apparatus,whcn comprised of a single set of pans,will consist of one defecating or skimming pan and two evaporating-'pans, only one ofthe lai-ter of which will bc subjected to the influence of life furnace, however, at a time; and when consisting of two sets it will have one or two, as may be desired, de'fecating- -pans and twol sets ol' evajjlorating-pans. I will first describe the single set of apparatus.

The flel'ecating-pan A is raised above thc level of the evuporating-pans lla-url l, so that the clarified juice may bc run oil' into them l'ree, or nearly so as possible, from impurities or foreign matter' other than those required :l'or the perfection of the process;- but asihe .invention consists in this instance in the apparatus, and not in theprocess of making sugar and sirup, I do not deem it necessary to parteularize the latter or the ingredients used inthe defecation; Src., further than is necessary for a full illustration ofthe management of the apparatus.

The apparatusl consists of two principal partsf-the furnace and the boiling apparatus and appendages. The furnace fora single set of pans is constructed 'of brick or other suit,-V ablc material, and about four times as long as it is broad, and the, rear half raised about the width of a pan higher than the frontend, and is provided with two fire-places or furnaces, the one, G, immediately below the defecatingpan A, and having its feed-aperture for wood and. air, 85e., on the side4 of the furnace, and the other, D, at the frontend of the pau, immediately underneath the evaporating or concentrating pans B. The former C. is merely intended to be used for the purification of the iirst pan of juice, which on its completion is then run off through theeock a into the evaporating-pan B,that is arranged over the front furnace, the fire in which is then kindled, it having previously been prepared for that purpose, and the other allowed to subside, in order to concentrate the juice by the evaporation of its aqueous particles into Sirup or into sugar by a further continuance of the heat.

While the concentration of the clarified juice in the evaporati-ng-pan B is heilig carried on, the damper c is turned down, as represented in Fig, 2, to allow the waste heat of the fue nace to pass under the defecating-pan A, in order to purify, by skimming, Snc., the new charge of juice with which meanwhile it has been provided after running oft' the iirst,to be ready to charge the second evaporatiug-pan,'l3, when the first has been sufficiently concentrated to be removed from the fire.

Shouldthe defecation of the juice in the pau 'have been completed previous to the concentration ol' the sirup in the cvaporating-pan ll, then, unless you should elect to continue the evaporation of the charge in the pan A, the damper c is turned up to shut off the passage ol'the heatand smoke from the pan A and cause them to pass toward the chimney ll, beneath the bottom plate, F, without acl-ing on that pan, for which purpose openings l; arel'ormed in the hed-plate, which allow l'ree passage t'o the smoke, &c., to the chimney, Should the heat from the front furnado, D, however, b`e insufficient to perfect the purification of the raw 'juice in the pan, then the other furnace, C, may also be kindled and kept burning as long as may be deemed necessary; or, it' deemed advisable, instead of kindl ing the fire underneath the defecatingva single set ot'v evaporators, the1partition c,

dam pers d andd', and chim ney. G (represented in the drawings) are not required, theyhaving been placed there to illustrate the operation and management of the fires when two sets of evaporating-pans are used. XVhen such are used, the end chimney, E, is removed and the furnace-walls extended to a length sufficient toqaecommodate another set of evaporatingpans like the two illustrated in the drawings, they being arranged, supported, and operated in precisely the saine manner and as will shortly be described. W'ith such the damper e is turned down, as before, so as to cause the heat and smoke to passunder the defecatingpan A and between the partition c and the wall of the furnace, whence it is deiieeted through the opening m, formed in the bottom plate, and thence under .the other evaporating-pan, .and again caused to descend through an opening cut in the farther endvof the bottom plate for that purpose, also provided with a damper, and thence back and out of the chimney G, iu which is formed an opening, h, for that purpose.

In the vdouble apparatus, whenit is onlydesired to use one set of evaporatingpans, then the damper d is kept closed and the oth er damper, d, opened, so as to cause theheat and smoke,&c.,to pass backunder the defecatin gpan and out through'the openingj ofthe ehimney G on the upper side of the bed-plate The handles Z andl', for operating the dampers d and d in large apparatus, instead .of being arranged as represented in the drawings, will be extended throughl the side ofthe furnace, that they may be operated from the outside.

Instead ot' using one large furnace for the heating of both sets of evaporating-pans in a large apparatus, each set may be heated by separate furnaces, if desired, one arranged at either end,and both provided with darnpers e, to suffer the heat to pass under a large defecating-pairA, for the supply of both sets, in which case the partition c and dampers d d could be dispensed with entirely, two dampers, X X, arranged one at either end of the defecatingpan A, like damper c, being all that would be necessary for the practical operation ofthe' apparatus.

Each pairof evaporating-pa-ns, as well for the single as the double apparatus, are connected together by means of a link,so that either may be inclined without affecting the level ofthe other. On the ends of one ot' each set are secured a notched bar, t', the teeth of which are niade to engage with pinions n, mounted on a' crank-shaft, @supported and turningin bearings secured to the side of the furnace, by turning which one pararon the completion of the concentration of the clari y fied juice, is removed from the fire, and the empty one brought over it, to -be filled from the det'ecating-pan A with the juice'prepared v in it for that purpose, where it in turn is subjected to the action of the fire until sufficiently concentrated, and then removed like the other, and the empty one taking its place, as before, and so on until the whole has been prepared and completed. To facilitate the removal of upon rollers p, iounted in frames made of f iron, whose transverse section is like or similar to a U with the 'convex side turned downward., Each set of pans has two of these series of rollers and frames 1' arranged so as to support the pans at their ends. Each of the series of rollers has three distinct frames,r, the middle! one bridging the walls ofthe furnace,2and the other two arranged so as to form a prolongation of it-one on each side of the furnace. The outer ends of the exterior frames r are supa strong rod, s, the lower end of which is at `tachcd to a crank-head, s,rnounted on a crankshaft, q', which has its bearing in a hollow standard, H while the innerv ends of the frames r are hinged to the outer end of Vthe middle one, r. By this arrangement the pans B maybe so tilted as to throw the whole sirup toward one cor11er,into which is inserted a cock, t, and thus draw the whole off with very great facility. This is effected by turning the crank'- shaft q of-thestandard H at that end of the pan farthest removed from the cock t se as to f raise that end, and by turning the otherso as i to depress that end of .the pan next the cock t llt will be seen by reference to the drawings that each parrB has its own set of rollers and adjustable frames, the'one on the one side andthe other on the other side of the furnace.

To prevent any tendency of theI pans to move angularly across the furnace and frames, guide-bars w are secured to their under sid L in such manner as to embrace the two sets o`f rollers between them; but, if desired, depressions could 'be formed on their under side,

1;within which the rollers can operate. Togive stability and strength to the standards H,

braces I are seien red to them and to the walls of the furnace.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by l Letters Patent, is i l. The arrangement andeperation of the l damper e, in connection with' the defecating the pans B in this manner, they are supported ported on and connected to the upper end offr* 'ri and evaporating pans A and B, for the pur- Intestimony whereof Ihave hereuntosigned poses set forth. my name before two. subscribing Witnesses.

2. In combination with the evaporating'- pans B, the arrangement of lthe adjustable J. H. WITHEY. roller-frames r, operating substlntially as described, for the purposes set forth.

3. The arrangement and operation of the dampers d and d', Where two sets of evaporating-paus, B,are used, for the purposes set forth.

Witnesses:

R. B. DEDMAN, THos. R. MARKILLIE. 

